Train-control system



Oc t. 15, 1929. A. s. SHAVER 1,731,275

TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Aug. 12. 1926 INVENTOR Archibald G. Shaver BY 'aw 7% a. fTTO EYS Patented Oct. 15, 1929 FATE ARCHIBALD SHAVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE REGAN SAFETY DEVICES COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TRAIN-CONTROL SYSTEM Application filed August 12, 1926. Serial No. 128,894.

This invention relates to a train control system, and more particularly to an induction type of train control system; and has special reference to the provision of an im 5 proved induction train control system of the manual-automatic type.

A principal object'of my present invention comprehends the provision of a vehicle carried apparatus for an induction train control system embodying automatic means operated in accordance with roadside conditions for producing a tripping operation of the vehicle carried apparatus to bring the vehicle to a halt combined with manually operable means for setting said vehicle carried apparatus to permit the same to move, under a restricted speed. I

A further prime object of my present invention comprehends the provision of vehicle carried apparatus for an induction train control system in which manual means are provided adapted to be operated by the engineman for resetting the vehicle carried apparatus to its normal unrestricted running condition provided the vehicle or train is running at or below the safe or restricted speed imposed by the manual setting mechanism.

A still further principal object of the invention comprehends the provision of a manual-automatic train control system of the nature referred to in which the manually operated restoring or resetting mechanism is adapted to be controlled by the cooperative efforts of the engineinan and fireman acting simultaneously providing a maximum degree of safety in restoring the tripped vehicle carried apparatus to its normal running condition when the roadside conditions have cleared.

Still further prime objects of the invention reside and center about the provision of a system of the inductiontype in which the inductive tripping apparatus for the system is made to control all of the'vehicle carried circuits including the manual setting and restoring mechanism, and the still further provision of a system in which the aforesaid manifold functions are-carried out in a related way by means of instrumentali ties and circuits composed of comparatively few parts inter-related in an efficient operating manner.

To the accomplishment of theforegoing and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter more particularly described and sought to bedefined in the claims; reference being had to the acompanying drawings which show the preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which: 7

The figure is a wiring diagrammatic view of the vehicle carried apparatus of the induction train control system embodying the principles of my present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, for controlling the movement of the train there is provided a valve magnet V having a construction such as disclosed in the patent to Allen B. Kendall No. 1,540,017, June 2, 1925, which valve is controlled by an electromagnet device M for opening the brake pipe of the airbrakesystem to exhaust and for disconnecting the enginema'ns brake valve from the main reservoir when an auto- I matic application of the brakes is effected;

The electromagnet M is therefore the operated device and this electromagnet M is controlled automatically from the roadside and manually by. the engineman or the combined efforts of the engineman and fireman on the vehicle to bring the vehicleto a halt,

or to'permit the same to move under a restricted speed and controlled by the speed of the train, and to permit the vehicle apparatus to be reset to unrestricted speed running conditions. a

The electromagnet device M is normally under the control ofja circuit closed at a contact 16 controlled by the operation of a control relay element CC, the circuit being energized from a transformer TR connected to the generator G, which generator may be of either the turbo or motor operated type, the said circuit comprising the secondary of transformerTR, conductors 12, 11 and 52, contact 16 normally closed, conductor 40, electromagnet M, and conductors 39 and31, the secondary of the transformer being coupled to the primary which, isconneeted to the generator by means of the conductors 1, 6, and 2. This normal electromagnet circuit therefore is normally closed with the relay element CC in normal or energized condition to permit unrestricted running of the Vehicle as portrayed in the drawings.

The relay element CC comprises the armature of a relay having a field element C, and the relay is operated by controlling the energization of the armature CC in accordance with roadside conditions, the field C of said relay being always maintained energized from the transformer TR, the same being in a circuit comprising the transformer secondary, conductors 12 and 11, field clement C and conductor 15, For controlling the arma ture relay element, there is provided a stick circuit controlled by another relay T-RT, which latter is in an inductor controlled circuit, the stick circuit for the relay element CC comprising the secondary of the transformer TR, conductors 12, 11 and 27, contact 14 of relay TRT, conductor 26, the armature relay element CC, conductors 28 and 29, stick contact 17 of the control relay C, and conductors 30 and 31. Normally this circuit is closed as shown; and when this circuit is opened by the deenergization of the relay T-RT, the circuit will remain or persist in opened condition by the opening of the stick contact 17.

The relay TRT is a trip relay having the field coil RT and the armature coil T, the former being energized from the transformer TR by the conductor connections 12, 11, 3, 4 and 15, while the armature element T is arranged in a circuit controlled by the tripping inductor T1, the latter comprising an energizing inductor a which is connected to the leads 1 and 2 of generator G and an energy receiving inductor Z) coupled to the energizing inductor a, the said energy receiving inductor being connected directly to the armature T of the trip relay by means of the conductors 9 and 10. The tripping inductor TI is adapted to cooperate with roadside apparatus, as is described and claimed in my copending appli cation Ser. No. 506,595, filed October 10, 1921, for alternating current intermittentinduction train control system, the same being also disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,521,332 of Dec. 30, 1924.

'Normally the receiving coil 7) of the trip ping inductor TI is energized from the coil a so that the relay TRT is energized to close its contacts and to maintain the same closed, closure of contact 14 maintaining the stick circuit to the control relay element CC energized for permitting the normal running conditions of the train. When, however, the tripping inductor TI moves over a roadside element (not shown) under danger or cantion roadside conditions, the armature T of the trip relay TRT is effectively deenergized so that its contacts are opened and the stick circuit to the control relay element CC is opened for deenergizing the circuit to the magnet M. As soon as thetripping inductor TI has passed the cooperating roadside ele ment, the trip relay TET is again energized to close its contacts, but under the assumed operation the stick circuit of the relay element CC remains open at the stick contact 17.

When a danger or caution operation is thus produced, it is desired to permit the engineman to restore the vehicle carried apparatus to a condition which will permit the vehicle to proceed under a speed restriction, such for example as under a speed of 15 or miles per hour; and to accomplish this 1 provide a resetting or restoring circuit operable by the engineman, which circuit is made effective, however, only when the vehicle has first been reduced to the restricted speed, the said mechanism operating to restrain movement of the vehicle to or below said restricted speed and to again apply the brakes in case such speed is exceeded. This modifying mechanism com rises in the preferred construction a second control relay having the field C already described and an armature element DC,

which armature element is under the control of a release switch RA connected in a manner to be describec presently to be under the control of a speed circuit controller SCC which is connected to a part of the vehicle and is operated in accordance with the speed thereof in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. v

For manually operating the control relay element DC there is provided a circuit energized from the transformer TR which comprises conductors 12, 11 and 49, contact 13 of trip relay TRT, conductors 32 and 34, relay element DC, conductors '35and 45, impulse contact 22 of the release switch mechanism RA (which embodies a construction similar to that described and claimed in my copending application Ser. No, 634,053 of Apr. 23, 1923, for circuit controlling means), conductors 44, 43 and 38, contacts 25 and 24 of the speed controller SCC and conductor 31. With this circuit it will be seen that when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined limit closing the contacts 24 and 25, the impulse operation and 44 on one side and conductors 36 and 45 V on the other side thereof. 7 7

When this circuit is closed and maintained closed by the holding contact 20, a new 'circuit is established at the contact 19 of the control relay element DC which places th electromagnet l t-l under the control'ot' the speed oi the train, this new circuit comprising the ill11lSliOll11-Q1'.TR, conductors 11 and 51, the said contact 19, conductor 40, electromagnet M, and conductors 39 and 31 back to the transformer. This circuit is under the control of the speed controller, since the contact 19 thereof is controlled by the relay element 1 C and the latt-r is energized only under ion that the speed the as omed con\ control contacts 24 and are closed. therefore, after a manual. setting or": the circuit to the control elenni at DC, the speed of the vehicle exceeds the restricted speed, the relay element DC will be deenergized, opening its contacts, and the electromagnet lvl. will be dcenergized to bring the vehicle to a halt. However, after the speed of the vehiclc is again reduced to or below the predetermined limit, the release sv-Jitch RA may again be operated by the engincman to reenergize the relay element DC.

F or apprizing the engineman of the correct time when the release switch RA should be operated, I provide a signalling circuit mbodying' a signal L, which circuit is closed when a manual setting of the apparatus is required (after a tripping operation). and when the speed of the vehicle has been reduced, this circuitcomprising the secondary of transformer TR, conductors 12 and 11, a contact 18 or" the relay element CC closed when the latter is tripped or (lo-energized, contact 21 closed, conductor 42, signal L, conductors and 38, speed control contacts 24 and 25, and conductor 31 back to the transformer. Vfhen the relay element DC is energized by operation of the switch RA, this circuit will be opened at the contact 21 so that tie cessation the signal will indicate to the engineman that the relay clement desired to be operated has been energized.

It will therefore be seen. from the lastdescribed construction that the control relay element DC may he s t by manual operation of the engineman to permit the vehicle to proceed under a re 1 t d speed when the vehicle carried apl... been tripped us or operated in rcspone to a danger or caution r adside condition. It is very desir-able when the roadside conditions are danger or caution to trip the vehicle carried apparatus at every roadside c ntrol station it the roadside conditions continue at caution or danger, ev though. the vehicle is mow-urn under a restricted speed, this so as to obtain a maximum degree of safety .strictcd speed.

means-operated by the engincman for forestalling this tripping operation of the ele becomes unnecessary may be avoided. This I accomplish by providing the contact 13 aforesaid 1n the circuit 01. the relay element DC as already described, this contact being normally closed by the energization of the inductor Z) and being opened when a tripping operation is produced. For forestalling this tripping operation I provide a contact 23 preferably made part of the release switch RA, which contact is arranged in parallel to the trip relay contact 13 by means of the conductors 1 and 32 on one side and the conductors 11 and 49 on the other side thereof. Manual closure of the contact 23 while the trip relaycont-act 13 is opened will thus maintai the control relay element DC energized to prevent an operation of the brakes, provided of course the speed controller contacts 24- and 25 are maintained closed. The said torcstalling circuit comprises the following elements: 'llrl, 11, 23, 41, 34, the element DC, 35, 45, 22, 44, 43, 38, 2524 (closed) 31 and back to Tit.

For restoring or resetting the vehicle carried apparatus after a tripping operation setting the inductor controlled circuit and:

the clear control relay CCC. In the pre-' ferred construction this manually operable mechanism embodies a circuit open at two points and adapted to be closed by the con certed or cooperative action of'both the engineinan and the firemanpand preferably when the vehicle is not exceedmg the restricted speed. By th1s means the veh cle carried apparatus may be restored toits normalunrev For accomplishing these results the manually operable mechanism comprises the firemans release button FEB and the enginemans releasebutton EBB both connected 1n a circuit controlling'the clear relay element CC, the circuit being operable provided the .dang'er control relay element DC is in an energized state, the latter being the case when the vehicle is running at or below the re- This circuit comprises the secondary of transformer TR, conductors 12, 11 and 27 contact 14, conductor 26, the relay armature CC, conductors 28 and 46, button FEB, conductor 47, button ERB, conductors 45 and 36, contact 20 (closed when the restricted speed is not exceeded provided DC has already been energized) conductors 37, 38, speed controller contacts 25 and 24 and conductor 31 back to the transformer TR. The closing of the relay element CC by this operation will restore the vehicle carried apparatus to its normal condition. Under normal conditions when the speed of the vehicle is unrestricted the danger control relay element DC will be deenergized, placing the same in the condition of operation shown in the drawings. For obtaining greater efficiency from the generator G, I prefer to provide the power factor compensator PFC connected by the conductors 7 and 8 to the generator leads 1 and 2.

The use and operation of the train control system embodying the principles of my present invention will in the main be fully apparent from the above detailed description .thereof. It will be. further apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in its preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims. I

I claim:

1. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train. an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for operating said device to stop the train, manual means for modifying the stop operation of said device and for placing the same under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, and manually operable mechanism effective only when the train is not exceeding said restricted speed for resetting said inductor controlled circuit to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for operating said device to stop the train, means manually operable by the engineman for modifying the stop operation of said device and for placin the same under the control of the speed 01' the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, and mechanism manually operable by the engineman and the fireman cooperating together and effective only when the train is not eX- ceeding said restricted speed for resetting said inductor controlled circuit to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

3. In an induction train control system, ve-

' hicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for operating said device to brake the train, manual means for modifying the said operation of said device and for placing the same under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed rewhen tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for operating said device for producing a persisting train control operation thereof, means manually operable by the engineman for modifying the operation of said device and for placing the same under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move only under a speed restriction, and mechanism embodying a circuit open at two points and adapted to be closed by the cooperative efforts of the engineman and fireman and effective only when the train is not exceeding said restricted speed for resetting said inductor controlled circuit to reset the said device to its normal operation.

5. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said control relay to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually operable means for settingthe said second con-' trol relay, and manually operable mechanism effective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

6. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said control relay to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, means operable by the engineman for setting the said second control relay, and mechanism operable by the engineman and fireman acting together and effective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

7; In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatusior trippingthe said control relay to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually operable means for setting the said second control relay, manually operable mechanism effective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted op eration, and means for tripping the said second control relay when the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped.

8. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for operating the said control relay to produce a train controlling operation in said'device, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually operable means for setting the said second control relay, manually operable mechanism efiective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation,

means for tripping the said second control relay when the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped and manually operable means for inhibiting the tripping of said second control relay.

9. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled stick circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said control relay to produce a train stopping opera tion in said device, a speed controller, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed controller to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually operable means for setting the said second control relay, and manually operable mechanism effective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

10. In an induction train control system vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train. a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus tor tripping the said control relay to produce a train stopping operation in said device, a speed controller, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed controller to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually operable means for setting the said second control relay, and manually operable mechanism embodying a circuit open at two spaced points and adapted to be closed by the cooperative action of the engineman and fireman and effective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

11. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a de vice for controlling the movement ofthe train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, a trip relay for the control relay, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said trip and control relays to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually operable means for setting the said second control relay, and manually operable mechanism effective only when the train is not exceeding the said restricted speed for-resetting said firstmentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation.

' 12. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a

control relay for controlling-the operation of said device, a trip relay for the control relay,

an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said tripand control relays to produce a train controlling operation in said device, the said trip relay being automatically reenergized after a tripping operation, a second control relay for placing said device under the control of the speed of the train to permit the train to move under a speed restriction, manually'operable means for setting the said second control relay, manually operablemechanism effective only when the train isnot exceeding the said restricted speed for resetting said first-mentioned control relay to reset the said device to its normal unrestricted operation, and means connecting the trip relay with said second control relay for tripping the latter when the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped.

13. In an induction train control system,

vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said control relay to produce a train controlling opera tion in said device, a second control relay for controlling the operation of said device, manually operable means for governing the operation of said second control relay, manually operable mechanism for controlling the operation of said first control relay and means connecting said inductor controlled circuit with said second control relay for tripping the latter when the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped.

14. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a de vice for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, a trip relay for said con trol relay, an inductor controlled circuit operable vvhen tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said trip and control relays to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a second control relay for controlling the operation of said device, manually operable means for governing the operation of said second control relay and means connecting said trip relay with said second control relay for tripping the latter When the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped.

15. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device f-or controlling the movement of the train, a control relayfor controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said control relay to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a second control relay for controlling the operation of said device, manually operable means for governing the operation of said second control relay, means connecting said inductor controlled circuit with said second control relay for tripping the latter when the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped, and manual means for inhibiting the last mentioned tripping operation. 7

16. In an induction train control system, vehicle carried apparatus comprising a device for controlling the movement of the train, a control relay for controlling the operation of said device, an inductor controlled circuit operable when tripped by cooperating roadside apparatus for tripping the said control relay to produce a train controlling operation in said device, a speed controller, a second control relay for controlling the opera-' tion of said device, manually operable means for governing the operation of said second control relay and for placing the same under the control of said speed controller, and means connecting said inductor controlled circuit with said second control relay for tripping the latter when the said inductor controlled circuit is tripped.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this third day of August A. D. 1926.

AROI-IIBALD G. SHAVER. 

